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Inside Story

When a beloved person dies abruptly, first the bad news flies, short and rending. Then come the stories, the "remember whens"-ocean waves of remembrance that can't take away the pain of loss, but do cradle it in the assurance that love and life shared never ends.

So it was when word came to Sojourners of Henri Nouwen's death. Many in our circle have especially fond reminiscences about Henri's many visits to Sojourners during the late '70s, when he shared both his presence and his counsel with a young community. This, we know, was a gift that Henri gave again and again to people around the world.

For many years the issue of Sojourners closest to Christmas has had a special emphasis on an individual or community who has intensely incarnated the gift and promise of God-with-us. In raw grief and joyful gratitude we dedicate this year's "incarnation" offering to Henri Nouwen. Many thanks to Daybreak L'Arche Community for their assistance, and to Brett Grainger, a former Sojourners intern who represented us at the funeral Mass and wrote some of Henri's story for this issue.

Also in this issue, Rose Marie Berger writes from her experience this past June in Bosnia, where she encountered that country's two very different faces-one showing destruction and distrust, one showing hope.

With this issue we begin our second 25 years. We pause to look back at where we came from, and we look forward to the familiar and unexpected places we may go. Thank you to all who have been on this journey with us!

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